Timeline
Terran Era - 2055-2128 This time marks the last days of the Earth as humanity's sole home. Downhill: 2055 - 2059 A shortage of oil triggers a global meltdown as nations fight for control of scarce resources. Tensions run high as what starts as a limited strategic release of nuclear weapons snowballs into a bitter exchange of warheads aimed at civilian population centers. When the dust clears it becomes clear that a new way will have to be found to survive and to secure the raw materials needed for society to continue. The Extrasolar Colonization Plan: 2060 - 2090 With the natural resources of Earth all but tapped out, and the continued survival of humanity at stake, it is deemed necessary to begin colonizing other planets. The decision to begin colonizing other planets and moons which can support life is made. A coalition is formed of the richest Earth world companies and governments, and called the UCN, or United Colonial Nations. They begin planning for their future. In order to colonize the outlying planets, Earth has a number of things to do. These include: * Taking the time to identify planets ideal for colonization. * Evolution of space propulsion technology to travel at near light speeds in order to reach the planets. * Evolution of cryotechnology ("ice-nod"), to send the crew/passenger into deep sleep for the duration of the journey to the target planets. * Building the fleet of deep-spacecraft. * Traveling to the planets. * Building the infrastructure of society on the newly colonized planet. * Transport network - roads/rail/tunnels. * Energy creation and distribution. * Communications networks. * Housing/shelter. * Manufacturing plants. * Water and waste management. The process of building and deploying ships will take upwards of 30 years. As it's in the UCN's best interest to support privatization for the sake of finance, they also allow other companies/governments to fund their own colonization projects, but under the strictures of the global (UCN) owners. Some immensely wealthy companies are also able to finance their own colonization, among them, the Helghan Corporation, which has made its sizable fortune in energy and industrial refinement. The global government(s) issue licenses to pursue colonization projects under strict criteria. Violation of these rules is considered a very serious infraction, warranting economic penalty - continued infractions, depending on the circumstance, could result in anything from stiffer penalties, economic sanctions, and finally expulsion from the UCN or even military action as a last resort. Exploration: 2095 - 2110 The colony ships begin to leave Earth, bound for various planets within the Terran Solar System. As colonization is still in its infancy, the UCN has not yet managed a way to skillfully deal with the massive amounts of administration necessary to deal with all these new colonies on top of their own significant requirements as a newly minted agency. They are, in a word, swamped. They rely on stiff economic penalties and overwhelming military force to keep the colonies and habitats in line. The UCN retains a defense force levied from volunteers all across the colonies, although many colonies still retain their own armed forces, the UCN is widely recognized to have the highest tech and best trained troops. What they don't have is a lot of them. The defense force is conceived as a temporary solution at best. The UCN Survey of Alpha Centauri System: 2111 The first ships, having left ten years ago, begin to arrive in the Alpha Centauri system. The system is a "hub" system between Earth and the outlying proposed colony sites and thus will come to hold great significance in the years to follow. Initially two worlds are pinpointed for colonization - a rocky world around Alpha Centauri A and a lush Eden planet around Alpha Centauri B. The UCN reserves the colonization rights of Alpha Centauri to itself - not opening them up for competitive bidding, according to its charter responsibilities. Inauguration of the UCA: 2113 The UCN defense force is dissolved due to allegations of incompetence, corruption and bureaucratic inefficiency. Part of this deal is the formation of the United Colonial Army now the only legally permitted military force on Earth or her stellar dominions. The UCA Navy is the first service branch formed. The Omen: 2116 A cluster of six colony ships, Archon, Triumph, Pacifica, Jericho, Seraph, and Harbinger completely drop off the tracking imager during a particularly intense solar flare. Contact cannot be re-established with them. The last transmissions from the ship seem to indicate a catastrophic systems failure. At the time, all hands are presumed lost. The loss of the colony ships is a significant financial hit for the UCN. They simply cannot afford to fund another interstellar colonization effort of the same size, and the chances of a smaller colony failing are too high. In a mood of desperation the UCN opens the bidding on the settlement rights for the Alpha Centauri system - and after a highly competitive bidding process they are won by the Helghan Corporation. The post-bidding news is full of allegations of vote fixing and bribery - and much is made of the fact that the corporation has a fleet of colony ships almost completed - but nothing is proven. Key to the success of the Helghan bid is underwriting and credit from the Interplanetary Banking Guild - in return for some 10% of Colonial profits once the colony is established. The Helghan journey to Alpha Centauri: 2118 - 2127 The journey is difficult at best and although the cryo-sleep, or 'ice-nod' chambers work well they do not work perfectly. 2% of the total Helghan population expires en route. Upon reaching the nearer planet, named Helghan, there is some dismay as scientists realize that life here will be hard. Despite enormous free-energy resources, the ecosystem on Helghan is extremely poor. A prefabricated space station is left in orbit around Helghan, with volunteers who elect to stay and seed the surface with automated refineries and power generators. The rest of the ships take a chance on their dwindling resources and push on to the second planet - which they name Vekta after Helghan Corporation CEO Philip Vekta. Early Vektan Era - 2129-2155 This era marks the early days of the colonies of Alpha Centauri. The planets are settled, the infrastructure established and slowly things are built up. This period ends at the beginning of the great boom on Vekta. The Settlement of Vekta: 2129 The first ships arrive on Vekta. Roughly 12 colonies are founded during the years 2129 to 2140. Vekta, roughly Earth-sized, is an agrarian and idyllic world, full of natural splendor and lushly forested - an Eden. Agricultural produce skyrockets on Vekta - the colony quickly becomes able to feed itself. Settlement of the Altair system: 2133 The planetary colony of Gyre is founded in the adjacent Altair system. Gyre is largely ocean, smaller than Vekta and colder, with millions of tiny islands dotting the surface. As the first colonies get underway the UCA discovers that communications does not allow it to efficiently manage colonial defense from a central headquarters. To combat inefficiency the UCN creates the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance - a concept which allows systems of varying degrees of integration to enjoy membership of a unified defense alliance. The UCN provides backup, training and equipment whilst the local Colonial Administration provides funds and men. ISA duties are to include revenue gathering, policing and local defense. The local ISA commands are subordinate directly to the civilians of the UCN and not under the military command of the UCA, and all ISA's are completely independent of each other, their strength and budget determined solely by the funds the local authority authorizes. ISA Altair and ISA Alpha Centauri are among the first ISA Commands created. Colonization of Vekta is secured: 2135 Despite some very rough early years - and numerous occasions when the colony was almost wiped out - the initial Helghan settlers manage to make the Vektan colony secure. In addition their space station around the world of Helghan is perfectly positioned to service the ships passing through Alpha Centauri between Earth and the new colonies. Starships come here to be supplied, maintained and refueled. On top of this many tankers begin to ply the routes between Helghan and their home worlds, bringing vital energy resources that command top prices. The money starts to roll in - offsetting the need to import comforts, medical supplies and food to the space station. Establishment of the Helghan Protectorate: 2138 Communications technology improves to the point where real-time communications are possible between Helghan and Vekta. The government on Vekta establishes the Helghan Protectorate, whereby both worlds are administered from Vekta. Helghan taxes and energy are now pouring directly into the Vektan market without going through the ISA, whilst Vekta provides Helghan with a wider and healthier variety of foodstuffs and luxuries. Employment is at 95% and morale skyrockets on both worlds. A new emblem is created that is symbolic of the mutually dependent relationship between Helghan and Vekta - three interlinked arms labeled Peace, Justice and Freedom. The Helghan Protectorate forms the first legally recognized militia service that is not part of the direct ISA or UCN/UCA chain of command. They are small and lightly armed, performing only customs, police and ceremonial duties. Nevertheless the ISA views them as something of a challenge and threat and imposes strict limitations on their size and equipment. In addition, all officers of the Helghan Militia are to be provided by the ISA. Infrastructure of Helghan is completed: 2149 Much of the infrastructure of industry has been laid by now, everything from turbines to the massive processing facilities in the Helghan wastes. The Helghan Corporation is now in the main completely self-sufficient and in the possession of vast sums of money and power which they can use to supply the rapidly expanding human universe, earned by selling energy to the passing colony ships, the newly established colonies, and with Earth itself. Their presence on Earth is now minimal - most of their assets and offices are located on Vekta. Inauguration of the Helghan Administration: 2152 With the increasing complexity of managing the colonies on Helghan and Vekta the Helghan Corporation decides to set itself up as a civil administration. This expanded charter allows it to take over all local administration duties from the ISA, levy taxes against the entire population and reorganize all social services - however they are still bound by strict ISA regulations on ship construction, orbital industries and the establishment of new colonies on their worlds. The Helghan/Vektan purchase: 2155 The Helghan government turns in a significant tax-surplus in each budget, stockpiling the money away in case of disaster. By 2155 this stockpile has gotten so big that the Helghan Administration makes an offer to the ISA to purchase the Alpha-Centauri system outright - allowing them to avoid sending their yearly tithe to Earth in favor of a fee paying system for individual services, such as support of the local ISA Command. The UCN, which would have normally outright rejected the offer, is currently cash poor - other colonial endeavors are costing them heavily. The idea of getting a big cash payout up front followed by negotiable fees with no requirement for the UCN to underwrite any colonial costs is too attractive to refuse - and so the UCN Senate votes to go forward with the Helghan/Vektan purchase by a majority. Platinum Era - 2156-2199 This era marks the heights of Vektan/Helghan civilization - before the dark days of the coming war. The Platinum Age: 2156 - 2190 Free to invest and tax in their colonies as they wish a period of runaway economic and industrial growth grips the Helghan Administrations two worlds. The automated refineries on Helghan are expanded and developed; the orbital shipyard becomes the largest orbital structure outside the Terran system. The Helghan system is a "hub system" that connects Earth to its colonies - every ship must travel through Helghan to get anywhere. The Helghan Administration begins to charge each ship for the privilege - allegedly a fee for traffic control, customs, search and rescue, and other such services. In reality, it is a thinly disguised tariff upon all trade in space. Helghan based ships are granted a residence permit that frees them from some charges, encouraging some shipping companies to relocate. Tensions: 2198 The UCN grows concerned at the increasing domination that Helghan is exerting over star travel and space trade - traditionally under UCN control. They also become frustrated that the Helghan are creating vast wealth off the backs of colonial endeavors that the UCN itself has underwritten. It levies stricter controls and tariffs on all space traffic and taxes the colonies more heavily than ever before - using the money to expand the UCA, the UCA Navy receiving the bulk of the new budget. For the first time the UCA Navy develops large scale troop transports and the new heavy cruisers- warships clearly designed principally to smash the ISA fleets of the outer colonies and invade them by force. As part of these new regulations several privileges granted to the Helghan Administration as part of the Helghan/Vektan Purchase are rescinded - specifically the right to a large home fleet and tariffs on shipping. The Helghan Administration refuses, but does agree to high-level talks on a compromise solution. Back home, however, the wealthy people of Vekta and the powerful companies in orbit around Helghan pressure the Helghan Administration not to budge on the issues of tariffs or self-defense. The Secession: 2199 Despite multiple attempts to negotiate a settlement, the talks between the UCN and Earth fail to bring a mutually satisfactory resolution. Earth flat out demands compliance from the Helghan Administration and the Helghan Administration responds by formally seceding from the UCN, declaring itself an independent colony. The UCN considers retaliation by slamming an embargo on trade with Helghan, but this is deemed to be counterproductive - the Helghan would simply prevent any trade ships reaching Earth and Earth can no longer survive for any length of time without colonial resources. The decision is made to send a powerful UCA Navy fleet to seize control of the navigation points between the colonies and Earth in the Helghan system. Protecting the flow of colonial trade to Earth would allow a blockade of Helghan itself by the UCN and bring this matter to resolution. First Extrasolar War - 2199-2204 This marks the lowest ebb of Vektan/Helghan civilization - the system makes a bold stand for freedom and fails. War comes to Alpha Centauri. The Helghan Police action: 2200 As the situation worsens, the Helghan Administration attempts to first co-opt and then expel all ISA forces from Vekta and Helghan. The ISA Marines and Navy respond with lethal force and a number of skirmishes erupt on and around the two colony worlds. Despite their overwhelming numeric superiority, Helghan troops are poorly equipped, trained and inexperienced and many ISA forces escape the initial fighting. The experienced ISA troops and ships scatter to conduct hit and run operations from hidden bases. The First Extrasolar War: 2201 The UCA Navy fleet dispatched in 2199 arrives at the Helghan system - hooking up with the local ISA ships and quickly moving to secure the navigational points. The main force of the fleet heads to the planet Helghan itself, to blockade it, but the massed custom fleets of the Helghan Administration attempt to break the blockade by engaging the UCA Navy fleet in battle. The UCA Navy cruisers prove to be untouchable by the much smaller Helghan vessels and the fleet action is a massacre, with almost the entire Helghan fleet being destroyed or disabled. During the fighting, however, the massive orbital structure is destroyed under mysterious circumstances. The UCA claim that the Helghan aboard the station fled to the planet below and sabotaged it to prevent it from falling into UCA hands. The Helghan Administration claim that the UCA fired on the station deliberately. The true story never emerges but, as a result of it the Helghan Authority declares war on the UCN. The UCA Navy fleet decides that dropping directly onto Helghan would be a waste of resources and lives - leaving a picket fleet to watch the planet, they push on to Vekta. The End of the First Extrasolar War: 2202 The combined ISA and UCA Navy fleet arrives around Vekta and quickly subdues the remnants of the Helghan Customs Service in orbit. Initially the Helghan Administration threatens to fight to the last man, but after a devastating demonstration of orbital bombardment they quickly yield to the inevitable. The Helghan Administration is shut down - all senior civil servants are arrested, as are any executives of the Helghan Corporation. Many escape into hiding. When the courier ship returns from Alpha Centauri with the news the UCN Senate debates the matter - eventually determining that the Helghan are too unruly to ever settle comfortably within the UCN, but also that the ISA needs a colony nearby to keep an eye on them and stop them from causing trouble in the future. A decision of debatable fairness is drafted and a broken Helghan Administration can do little more than rubberstamp it. The local ISA takes over administration of Vekta. New colony ships of loyal UCN civilians start to be sent from Earth to expand the Vektan colony. The harsh consequences of rebellion are not lost on the other colonies - the UCN's right to regulate and tax space shipping is never challenged again. The Resistance: 2202 - 2204 Helghan extremists begin a terrorist campaign in an attempt to make the occupation of Vekta too expensive for the ISA. Although the majority of Vektan Helghan simply want to live out their lives peacefully, sufficient numbers of the local populace assist the guerrilla movement to enable it to flourish. Bombings, ambushes and shootings against the UCN minority become more common - Vekta is no longer an innocent paradise. Early Helghan Era - 2204-2340 The loyalist Helghan peoples leave Vekta on a trek to the harsh and unforgiving world of Helghan. Long seen as a chemical and mineral storehouse, now Helghan must be tamed - but it changes the Helghan as much as they change it - if not more. This era covers the early days on Helghan. The Exodus: 2204 - 2210 The ISA governor general of Vekta responds to the growing terrorism by clamping down harder and harder on the local Helghan population. Finally, in desperation, many prominent Helghan families pool their wealth to purchase the old colonizing ships and get them space worthy again - the community appoints a spokesman to speak with the ISA governor and request permission for the Helghan people to resettle on Helghan - joining those few souls who escaped from the transfer station there. The ISA agrees and the Helghan exodus begins, shuttling millions of disaffected Helghan colonists from Vekta to the growing Helghan colonies. Neither the ISA nor the UCN want to foot the bill for establishing this colony, preferring to leave the Helghan to either survive or die on their own merits. In order to legitimize this action, the UCN formally recognizes the Helghan Administration as a sovereign nation and declares the planet of Helghan to be their territory in perpetuity - subject to ISA blockades and restrictions until diplomatic relations are normalized. The Surface of Helghan formally settled: 2215 - 2220 The bleak existence on Helghan is a far cry from the paradise of Vekta. Initial casualties due to illness, storm damage and starvation are very high. Within ten years, though, the death rate subsides as the Helghan begin to adapt to their surroundings. Slowly a civilization arises from the refugee camps and token Helghan industry and food production starts again. Hardships: 2220 In 2220 the heads of the various refugee camps come together for the first time to reform the Helghan Administration. 90% of the Refugee camps agree to collectivize their resources and labor in order to cooperate in the rebuilding of their civilization. Disturbing medical problems are found to be common throughout the colony - exotic radiation and storms have serious effects on the longevity of the human being. Medical support from the ISA is non-existent and indigenous facilities are too primitive. The wearing of masks for those who work in the outdoors becomes mandatory. Mask wearing becomes the sign of having a working class profession. Even with masks, Lung Burn (as the settlers call it) becomes the primary cause of death in Helghan over the age of thirty. On a positive note, however, vast mineral resources are discovered by the settlers, mining fast becoming one of the more common jobs on Helghan. Helghan approached by the ICSA: 2223 As the colony on Helghan begins to reform the Helghan Administration and secure the basic infrastructure and facilities needed for life again, the Independent Colonial Strategic Alliance approaches them offering membership and support. The ICSA is an unaligned version of the ISA, created to allow worlds that decide to go at it alone to have some sort of support. Despite the ICSA making few demands and offering much help, the Helghan are now paranoid of all outside influences and motivations and strongly decline the offer. The Early Helghan Era: 2223 - 2305 ISA trade sanctions force the Helghast to trade on unfavorable terms for over a decade and initial growth of wealth is slow - despite the unexpected addition of a trade in minerals. Life is short, hard and painful for the majority of Helghans as they fight to cope with poor nutrition, poor environment and grueling work conditions and practices. Frequent austerity drives and a Spartan approach to existence allow the Helghan to survive - and even profit - under these harsh conditions, but the more things improve the more the Helghan become angry at the restrictions imposed upon them by the ISA which are meekly accepted by the cowed Helghan Authority. Construction of the ISA Defense Networks begins: 2304 Several of the richer ISA forces begin construction of elaborate Orbital Defense facilities in favor of maintaining an extensive fleet. The Vektan ISA high command decides to stand down the blockade of Helghan in favor of a smaller customs fleet and its own Orbital Defense network around Vekta. The Inheritors: 2305 The third generation of indigenous Helghan are beginning to be born. Helped along by basic genetic conditioning and the harsh environment they are more suited to the heavy gravity and also feature lungs that are more efficient and resistant to the pollutants on Helghan, and their cells are more resistant to the higher radiation levels. The Birth of Scolar Visari: 2307 The man who would one day be Autarch is born to a wealthy family of hardcore Helghan nationalists. Rumored to be descended from one of the original Helghan Directors, Scolar Visari shows great early promise as a thinker and leader. The Great Depression: 2330 - 2350 Vekta's monopoly of the Helghan trade allows them to develop great wealth - at the expense of reinvestment on Helghan. As the Helghan population increases, more and more of their own wealth is diverted to the feeding and protection of their civilians - this leads to a series of industrial accidents where expensive machinery is not serviced sufficiently to cope with the harsh Helghan conditions. The resulting downtime whilst Helghan pays for the servicing, maintenance and replacement of its old machinery causes a severe economic downturn that lasts almost 20 years. Helghan economists blame the depression on selfish Vektan exploiters. Vekta has its own troubles with the collapse of the lucrative black-market trade in Helghan minerals and energy and can spare no resources for a relief effort. For the first time since 2220, Helghans die of starvation in the cities. Helghast Era - 2340-2357 The tough conditions finally spawn social and economic change. Forced to adapt to a situation so tough that mere humans could never survive it, a charismatic new leader pronounces the birth of the Helghast people: a people no longer human, with a bold drive and vision to succeed. The Rise of Visari: 2340-2347 With the economy in the abyss and Helghan morale below that, a singular and remarkable figure rises to prominence: Scolar Visari, the eventual self-proclaimed autarch of Helghan. Visari's ideology is simple and compelling: the Helghan people had once come here as humans, but they are humans no longer. They are different, changed. Changed cosmetically in their travels, changed physically by their residence on the alien planet of Helghan, changed spiritually by the hardships they've endured in every circumstance. The government that has brought them to this end could only give them structure; it could not give them life, could not give them a reason to go on, and could not fully express the magnitude of the transformation. The world has changed us, Visari claims, and now it is our turn to change the world. Visari's oratorical skill and magnetic personality draws many of the disaffected public to his cause. It spreads among them like wildfire and galvanizes them in a single recognition: that they are one people, one nation, united against all aggressors. More significantly, perhaps, Visari is the first to give voice to what will later become the keystone of the Helghast agenda: their identity as an entirely new and entirely superior race – the 'extra-human' race. He goes on to preach the militaristic, absolutist values that will become the trademark of the Helghast. More importantly, he transforms the value of mask-wearing – once a badge of low station – and makes it integral to the Helghan identity. There is nothing shameful in its history, Visari tells the people. It is testament to their fortitude to wear the mask. And the Helghan rally around him, rich and poor alike. Phantom Talon Corp, a private military contractor (PMC) is established in 2344. Birth of the Helghast: 2347 Visari coins the term "Helghast" in a public speech. Its purported origin is from the Old English word, "gast", meaning "spirit", or "ghost", connoting great fear. Visari states that they are no longer what they once were. Where they were once human and spiritless, their generations on Helghan, their sufferings; these have forged them into a new race, the only truly 'living' race. Whatever the etymology, the name sticks. Feigning an attempt on his life to garner public support, Visari leads a military coup backed by a popular uprising to assume the title of autarch. He seizes unrestricted power from the Helghan Administration and begs the army for 10 years of unchallenged authority to reforge the Helghast into a true independent power. As part of his plan, Visari begins a major enlargement of the Helghast military. A secondary aspect of the Helghast revolution is a cultural evolution, led personally by Visari to change the face of Helghan society. Visari bans the use of written English in 2349, devising a new Helghast alphabet to be used in its place. Plans for an entirely new Helghast language are never fully implemented due to the logistical difficulties, but the ideal of this linguistic separation remain dear to Visari. As a final touch, the old Helghan banner is dropped in favor of a simpler, starker and more dynamic logo. The Helghast Triad becomes the official banner of Helghan: three arrows representing Duty, Obedience and Loyalty signal the new values that Helghast society is based upon. The New Helghan Economy: 2350 Starting with low level smuggling operations but gradually building up in scale, the Helghast begin breaking the ISA embargo of their world to trade directly to black-market suppliers. At first the trade is exclusively to the Vektan energy market, but slowly Visari encourages off-world agents to source their power from Helghan. The whittled down ISA fleet is powerless to do more than put a dent in the trade, and some factions on Vekta question whether the Helghan blockade is even needed at this point. The Helghast rebuild their transfer station, albeit on a more modest scale than before, and trade really starts to take off. The depression officially ends when the Helghast secure a contract with the ICSA for energy and materials. The deal is mutually beneficial, and both parties gain immensely from it. The ISA governor does not increase funding to the ISA Navy, making the issue of containment a moot point. The Second Defense platform begins construction: 2356 Concerned by the Helghast military build up in progress, the ISA governor orders the construction of an additional orbital defense platform to complement the 52 year old defense network already in place. ISA General Stuart Adams is appointed the military commander of the network.